Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - Episode 144
"The Forbidden Ritual, Part 1", known as "Activate! Ultimate Unsealing Ritual Technique" in the Japanese version, is the one hundred and forty-fourth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime. It first aired in Japan on July 11, 2007 and in the US on May 17, 2008. Summary Jaden is freed from the influence of the The Supreme King, but at a great cost. His only remaining companions are Syrus, Ojama Yellow, Aster and Zane. Jaden is sleeping it off, and wakes up screaming as he remembers his Duels with Jim and Axel. He questions where they are, and realizes they are gone - defeated by his own hands. Aster tells him to calm down and reveals that Jesse is still alive, so Jaden needs to focus on locating and saving his friend. Jaden responds that at this point, he doesn't deserve to be anyone's friend. Jaden then passes out again (In the English Dub it is revealed that he has a high fever). Elsewhere, Adrian Gecko is in a cave, holding the five Exodia cards he received from Marcel while the latter was still possessed by Yubel (the English dub still features the original Japanese cards, text and all). Adrian determines that he will have to fight Yubel for control of this dimension and believes he can win if he unlocks Exodia's seal and makes it his servant. He also realizes that to break the seal, he needs a sacrifice. He reveals that Yubel's Devil Arm has been transplanted onto his own, as his current power is only a result of his deal with Yubel. Aster thumbs through Jaden's Deck and sees the "Super Polymerization" card and is confused as to how it got there - as it was not there the last time he checked. Zane comments that he would have liked to Duel The Supreme King and explains that he came here seeking his ultimate opponent. Aster wants to help Jaden find Jesse, as Aster feels he is indebted to Jaden, since the latter aided in saving Aster's own friend - Sartorius. In the canyon below them, Dr. Crowler and Echo are being chased by a pack of "Abare Ushionis". They are saved when Zane and Aster Summon "Cyber Dragon" and "Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude" respectively. Crowler and Echo begin traveling with the rest of the group. That night, Aster returns a locket Echo had dropped to her - one with Adrian Gecko's picture. He questions whether she's here to save Adrian. She replies that she's not - she knows Adrian will rule this dimension, without his brother and the rest of his family to hold him back. A deep fog gathers, and the whole group is suddenly transported into a cave, where they meet Adrian, who reveals that he was not left behind in the other dimension - he chose to stay. Jaden questions whether he's seen Jesse, but Adrian replies he hasn't. He reveals that in order to become King, he needs to sacrifice Echo's life. Aster steps in, wishing to save Echo and challenges Adrian to a Duel. The Duel begins, and Adrian's strategy seems to consist of playing defense and reinforcing his hand. Eventually, Aster realizes that he may be trying to complete Exodia, and blocks this strategy by playing "Force of Four". At this point, Adrian's hand consisted of four Exodia pieces and a Spell Card - and he had just moved the fifth piece to the top of his deck after his "Deep Diver" was destroyed. However, the Spell Card he discarded was "Ritual of the Ultimate Forbidden Lord", which lets him Special Summon "Exodios the Ultimate Forbidden Lord". However, he must sacrifice someone he loves in order to break the seal. Echo willingly steps forward to be sacrificed. Featured Duel: Aster Phoenix vs. Adrian Gecko Turn 1: Adrian Adrian draws "Vortex Trooper" and subsequently Normal Summons it (0/600) in Defense Position. Adrian then activates "Vortex Trooper's" effect to return 2 cards in his hand to his Deck and draw two new cards. Turn 2: Aster Aster draws "Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude" and subsequently Normal Summons it (1400/1600) in Attack Position. Aster then activates the effect of "Diamond Dude" to reveal the top card of his Deck. If the card is a Normal Spell Card, he can send it to the Graveyard and activate its effect during his next turn's Main Phase; if the card is not a Normal Spell Card, the card will go to the bottom of Aster's Deck. Aster reveals "Destiny Draw", so it is sent to the Graveyard. "Diamond Dude" attacks and destroys "Vortex Trooper". Since "Vortex Trooper" was destroyed, its second effect activates, letting Adrian draw a card. Aster sets two cards. Turn 3: Adrian Adrian draws. He then Normal Summons "Deep Diver" (1000/1100) in Defense Position and sets a card. Turn 4: Aster Aster draws. Through the effect of "Diamond Dude", Aster activates the effect of "Destiny Draw" to draw two cards ("Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" and "Clock Tower Prison"). Aster then activates the effect of "Diamond Dude" and he reveals his top card as "Doctor D", so it is sent to the Graveyard. Aster then Normal Summons "Destiny Hero - Dunker" (1200/1700) in Attack Position. He then activates the effect of "Destiny Hero - Dunker" to send "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" from his hand to the Graveyard and inflict 500 damage to Adrian (Adrian 4000 → 3500). Aster then activates "Clock Tower Prison". He then activates his two face-down "Eternal Dread", which gives "Clock Tower Prison" four Clock Counters (each "Eternal Dread" gives "Clock Tower Prison" two Clock Counters). Aster then activates "Mystical Space Typhoon" to destroy "Clock Tower Prison". Since "Clock Tower Prison" was destroyed while it had four Clock Counters, its final effect activates, letting Aster Special Summon "Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster" (?/?) in Attack Position. Since "Dreadmaster" was Special Summoned through the effect of "Clock Tower Prison", its first effect activates, letting Aster Special Summon "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" (300/300) from his Graveyard in Attack Position. Since "Disk Commander" was Special Summoned from the Graveyard its effect activates, letting Aster draw two cards. Since "Dreadmaster" was Special Summoned, none of Aster's Destiny Heroes can be destroyed this turn and Aster will take no Battle Damage when they battle. Due to the last effect of "Dreadmaster", its original ATK and DEF become equal to the original ATK of all other Destiny Heroes that Aster controls ("Dreadmaster": ? → 2900/? → 2900). "Destiny Hero - Dunker" attacks and destroys "Deep Diver". "Disk Commander" and "Diamond Dude" attack directly (Adrian 3500 → 3200 → 1800). "Dreadmaster" attacks directly, but Adrian activates his face-down "Dimensional Prison" to remove "Dreadmaster" from play. At the end of the Battle Phase, the effect of "Deep Diver" activates, letting Adrian place a card from his Deck on top of his Deck. Aster then activates "Force of Four". Upon activation, the first effect of "Force of Four" activates, forcing both players that have more than four cards in their hand to send cards from their hand to the Graveyard until they have exactly four cards in his hand; Adrian has five cards in his hand, so he sends one card in his hand to the Graveyard ("Ritual of the Ultimate Forbidden Lord") while Aster sends no cards in his hand to the Graveyard as he currently has three cards in his hand. Due to the second effect of "Force of Four", while either player has four cards in their hand, if they draw a card(s) during their Draw Phase or activate an effect that would add a new card(s) from their Deck or Graveyard to their hand, they must send all those cards to the Graveyard instead. Turn 5: Adrian Adrian draws "Exodia the Forbidden One". Due to the effect of "Force of Four", he must send it to the Graveyard.The given Japanese text of "Force of Four" contradicts this as the "sending to the Graveyard" only applies for cards added from the Deck/Graveyard to the hand by a card effect. Adrian then activates the effect of "Ritual of the Ultimate Forbidden Lord" from his Graveyard. On this note, Echo steps toward Adrian, agreeing to offer her life force in exchange for Adrian's victory. Duel continues in the next episode. Mistakes in the English dub * When Adrian looks at the "Exodia" cards, they were shown to have their original Japanese text and artwork, though a moment later, in the flashback, they are correct. * "Destiny Hero - Dunker" was shown with 1100 ATK printed on the card, when its actual original ATK is 1200. The correct number was shown when it was Summoned. * When Aster used the effect of "Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude" to activate "Destiny Draw", "Diamond Dude" was called "Destiny Dude". * Aster calls "Dimensional Prison" a Counter Trap Card, when it is a Normal Trap Card. Featured cards The following cards appeared in this episode. Cards in italics debuted here. Notes